I have been using Google Analytics since its debut, and love it as a stats tool.  I probably use it more than I have any tools built into a hosting account.  Some people might be overwhelmed by some of the terms though, so to break it down I thought I would take a look at the first thing you see, the Site Usage section.

Visits – In Google Analytics, visits are the number of individual sessions initiated by all the visitors to your site.

Pageviews – With Pageviews, these are defined as a view of a page (inside of your web site) that is being tracked.

Pages/Visits – This number is an average of how many pages your average viewer are checking out inside of your site at a single time.

Bounce Rate – Once of the more confusing stats, it is the percentage of single-page visits or visits in which the person left your site from the entrance (landing) page.  The lower the number, the better you are doing.

Avg. Time on Site – Ok, maybe this one doesn’t need to be explained. It is the average time a visitor spends on your web site in a single session.  The longer, the better (in most cases).

% New Visits – This is a comparison of new visitors with old visitors.  It is always good to bring new people into the fold, but you also want to make sure you give people something to come back for.

Now, at least, you have a better idea of what those numbers mean to your web site you are tracking.  Need help getting Google Analytics setup for your site?  WebHostingShow.com has a great guide on how to get started.